Gear-head fun facts
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Joined: Jan 2001
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From: Mish-she-gan
Gear-head fun facts
* One dragster's 500-inch Hemi makes more horsepower than the first 8 rows at Daytona.
* Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1 1/2 gallons of nitro per second, the same rate of fuel consumption as a fully loaded 747 but with 4 times the energy release per volume.
* The supercharger takes more power to drive then a stock hemi makes.
* With nearly 3000 CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into nearly-solid form before ignition. Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock.
* Dual magnetos apply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is equivalent to the output of an arc welder in each cylinder.
* At stoichiometric (exact) 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture (for nitro), the flame front of nitro methane measures 7050 degrees F.
* Nitro methane burns yellow. The spectacular white flame seen above the stacks at night is burning hydrogen, dissociated from atmospheric water vapor by the searing exhaust gases.
* Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After 1/2 way, the engine is dieseling from compression-plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1400 degrees F. The engine can only be shut down by cutting of it's fuel flow.
* If spark momentarily fails early in the run, unburned nitro builds up in those cylinders and then explodes with a force that can blow cylinder heads off the block in pieces or blow the block in half.
* Dragsters twist the crank (torsionally) so far (20 degrees in the big end of the track) that sometimes cam lobes are ground offset from front to rear to re-phase the valve timing somewhere closer to synchronization with the pistons.
* To exceed 300 mph in 4.5 seconds dragsters must accelerate at an average of over 4G's. But in reaching 200 mph well before 1/2 track, launch acceleration is closer to 8G's.
* Drivers shut off before the finish line, or even dual parachutes will not stop the car.
* If all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, and for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs $1000.00 per second.
* Dragsters reach over 300 miles per hour before you have read this sentence.
* Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1 1/2 gallons of nitro per second, the same rate of fuel consumption as a fully loaded 747 but with 4 times the energy release per volume.
* The supercharger takes more power to drive then a stock hemi makes.
* With nearly 3000 CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into nearly-solid form before ignition. Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock.
* Dual magnetos apply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is equivalent to the output of an arc welder in each cylinder.
* At stoichiometric (exact) 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture (for nitro), the flame front of nitro methane measures 7050 degrees F.
* Nitro methane burns yellow. The spectacular white flame seen above the stacks at night is burning hydrogen, dissociated from atmospheric water vapor by the searing exhaust gases.
* Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After 1/2 way, the engine is dieseling from compression-plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1400 degrees F. The engine can only be shut down by cutting of it's fuel flow.
* If spark momentarily fails early in the run, unburned nitro builds up in those cylinders and then explodes with a force that can blow cylinder heads off the block in pieces or blow the block in half.
* Dragsters twist the crank (torsionally) so far (20 degrees in the big end of the track) that sometimes cam lobes are ground offset from front to rear to re-phase the valve timing somewhere closer to synchronization with the pistons.
* To exceed 300 mph in 4.5 seconds dragsters must accelerate at an average of over 4G's. But in reaching 200 mph well before 1/2 track, launch acceleration is closer to 8G's.
* Drivers shut off before the finish line, or even dual parachutes will not stop the car.
* If all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, and for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs $1000.00 per second.
* Dragsters reach over 300 miles per hour before you have read this sentence.
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 9,210
Likes: 7
From: WA
Thanks for the facts.. My wife and I go to the drags only to watch top fuel.. it is an amazing show! 
In fact some of the people think we are crazy to blow the money for the tickets and skip as much of the day as we can except for the TF runs (most of drag racing is very boring to watch). If you have never witnessed IN PERSON a top fuel run you are missing one of the most amazing demonstrations in motorsports. The sight, sound (actually it is violent air impacts on your body), and smell, are unforgettable and cannot be duplicated.
In fact some of the people think we are crazy to blow the money for the tickets and skip as much of the day as we can except for the TF runs (most of drag racing is very boring to watch). If you have never witnessed IN PERSON a top fuel run you are missing one of the most amazing demonstrations in motorsports. The sight, sound (actually it is violent air impacts on your body), and smell, are unforgettable and cannot be duplicated.
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 3,504
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From: Boulder
Originally posted by cdelena
The sight, sound (actually it is violent air impacts on your body), and smell, are unforgettable and cannot be duplicated.
The sight, sound (actually it is violent air impacts on your body), and smell, are unforgettable and cannot be duplicated.
Top fuel is lots of fun, though!
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